Sunny Side Up - Album Review
Consequenceofsound.net, by Anthony Balderrama: When an outsider artist chooses to embrace a genre or an era to its fullest, listeners have reason to be wary. Sometimes it can go well-think of indie rocker and Californian Jenny Lewis embracing southern country and gospel on her solo releases. We like that. But when it goes bad, you’ve got Chris Cornell trying to be a dancefloor and R&B mainstay. We don’t like that. At all. So when Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini came on the scene, you would’ve been understandably skittish to hear that he’s more coffee shop troubadour than he is the next Franz Ferdinand. Not that the United States has cornered the market on acoustic rock by any means, but Nutini’s obviously a disciple of Bob Dylan and his folk contemporaries. And seeing as most songwriters have gone down that path for the last several decades (and many have failed), skepticism isn’t an absurd reaction. Add to that Nutini’s appearance: He could comfortably slide into The Strokes’ lineup without any notice. But one listen to Nutini’s music, especially his latest release, and you’ll have further proof that you can’t judge an artist on anything other than the music. sounds like the work of a comfortable artist who’s found his niche, not like the sophomore release of a 22 year-old. Front and center on each song is Nutini’s coarse voice, which should be coming from a 60-year-old who drank so heavily that he lost his family and use of his liver. It has a softer edge than Tom Waits’s voice and is more melodic than Lucinda Williams’s, but it still carries pent up anguish. On “Worried Man”, where he describes a broken man’s mental anguish over past mistakes, his voice is equal parts sorrow and amusement. He’s emotionally invested in the story, but he’s not attempting to identify with the man. Nutini is just a moving storyteller. “Candy”, the album’s first single and arguably its best track, serves as a strong thesis for . You can hear Nutini’s penchant for pop tunes that borrow from Texas country and a little soul. It’s bittersweet without being cutesy. The metaphor of candy for love is hokey, yes, but it’s also reminiscent of much saucier rhythm and blues that obviously influence his sound. “Pencil Full of Lead” is a less innocent track and also more direct in its homage to 1920’s night club music, with blaring horns. It’s also a sonic jolt in the middle of a mostly midtempo album. Though, I suppose the album’s title alludes to a bright, optimistic streak that runs through the tracks, as these little upbeat moments appear at random moments. For example, “High Hopes” is a breezy number that takes serves as relief between somber numbers. At a brief 39 minutes, the album doesn’t have much chance to veer off course. Or, it does, but Nutini’s a smart enough editor not to wear out his welcome. Some of the weaker tunes are only less impressive because they don’t have a strong enough signature on them. The strong “Keep Rolling” is a haunting closer that relishes quite moments and allows harmonies to steal the spotlight from Nutini’s words. It’s not groundbreaking, but it feels like Nutini. “Coming Up Easy” is enjoyable, but it feels like Jamie Lidell-lite. Nothing about it grabs you and sounds like it has to come from him. Still, these moments aren’t displeasing; they’re just somewhat disappointing from such a strong release. I suppose Nutini could be thrown in the heap of artists who have gone the lo-fi route as of late (think She & Him or Fleet Foxes), but he still sounds firmly planted in 2009. He’s not relying on technology to make sound contemporary, and he’s not longing for a past era as the above artists are. He’s just a fan of those periods who happens to be making music today, and as a whole, it’s the right approach. Category:Reviews